Gaming terminals, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for many years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the gaming terminal and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning on each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are most likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators constantly strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines available, because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator.
One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is that of a “secondary” or “bonus” game which may be played in conjunction with a “basic” game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, that is entered upon the occurrence of a selected event or outcome of the basic game. Such a bonus game produces a significantly higher level of player excitement than the basic game, because it provides a greater expectation of winning than the basic game.
The player excitement generated by the bonus game is generally limited to the bonus game session and the possibility of entering such a session, however. Typically, the bonus games are independent from the basic games and as such, the excitement generated by the bonus game during play of the basic game is limited or nil. While bonus game features provide some enhanced excitement relative to other known games, there is a need for developing games where the excitement generated by the bonus game is provided to the player during the play of the basic game as well.